It doesn't mean you have to give up on relationships, though. That's just opting out. Just like the couple who live in the trailer/shed - you don't have to go to the extreme opposite.

That's just cutting off your nose to spite your face.

In Ringggold Georgia if your wife fools around and gets pregnant by another man, her husband has to pay child support. It is called "Product of the marriage". They also will give a woman BOTH houses and force the dad and son to sleep in a truck because he had an affair.

Now, tell me why this guy should get married? He is the smart one.

It is cheaper to keep them, last one to die wins!

The dating scene is certainly a minefield, but don't let the challenge discourage you. The more people you meet, the more you will learn to look for the good things and the bad things.

And accept the fact that it's impossible to find someone who is "perfect". In any relationship, you HAVE to put up with a certain amount of bullsh*t. You just have to know where to draw the line, and make that line impassable.

You can certainly date someone and keep them at arm's length until you're comfortable enough to incorporate them into your family life. Any woman worth your time will have the patience and understanding to go through this process.

I have found that I have to be pretty focused if I am to be a successful father and have a successful career that provides the means to be a successful father. Now that my kids are older, it's even harder to find time for dating and relationships.

Being single is not the ideal situation and I totally identify with what Shaun said about someday wanting to have the benefits of a relationship. But it's not all about me. It's not like buying a car or building my dream house. There are a myriad of factors involved and any one of them could be a deal breaker. I don't want to put my kids at risk while I date, because if it's not right it's hard on everyone.

Firstly, it's much, much better to be by yourself than to be in an unhappy relationship. At the very least, you isolate the disfuntion to a single person. You just have to be at peace in being alone, and not lonely. Lonely people have the stink of desperation.

But the obvious choice is finding happiness in day-to-day living with another person. The single largest qualification, to me, is that you're not with someone JUST BECAUSE you don't want to be alone. There has to be a "special" something, which is hard for me to explain. I would say it's a type of fascination or inspiration that you see in a person. And respect.